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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S5W-27433

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much it is allocating to bus priority infrastructure in its 2020-21 budget.

As detailed in the Scottish Government's Draft Scottish Budget, funding of £10 million for bus priority infrastructure is included for 2020-21. Further funding for 2021-22 onwards will be prioritised through the capital spending review. The investment will take the form of a Bus Partnership Fund for local authorities and the roll out of infrastructure on the trunk road network to prioritise high occupancy vehicles such as buses. We will publish more details on the Bus Partnership Fund in the coming months.

Question reference: S5W-27405

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £520 million rail franchise budget for 2020-21 is allocated to (a) Abellio ScotRail and (b) Serco Caledonian Sleeper.

Figures for the financial year 2020-2021 are currently budget forecasts and as such are commercially sensitive. Figures for the financial year 2019-2020, once audited are due to be published in October 2020.

Figures for the financial year 2018-2019, as published in Transport Scotland’s Annual Accounts, confirm of the £415 million rail franchise programme expenditure (a) Abellio ScotRail was allocated £390 million including Fixed Track Access Charges of £260 million and (b) Serco Caledonian Sleeper was allocated £25 million.

Question reference: S5W-27407

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much compensation was paid to Abellio ScotRail by Network Rail in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019 for claims relating to disruption during upgrade works at Glasgow Queen Street station.

Question reference: S5W-27550

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to extending the National Concessionary Travel Scheme to modern apprentices and, if so, what the timeline for this is.

Question reference: S5W-27543

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with its commitment to "consult on Scotland's ambition to make the transformative shift to zero or ultra-low emission city centres by 2030", and by what date this consultation will be (a) launched and (b) completed.

A question seeking views on the shift to zero or ultra-low emission city centres by 2030 was included in the consultation on low emission zones (LEZ), which closed on 24 February. Over 300 responses have been received which are now being analysed. The analysis report will be published by the end of April.

Further engagement and consultation will follow with partners and key stakeholders to assess the broad range of system-wide opportunities and challenges. This will include workshops with city councils this Spring.

Question reference: S5W-27549

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how much and (b) what proportion of the 2020-21 concessionary fares budget will cover the cost of expanding the scheme to (i) companion cards for disabled children under five and (ii) recipients of the Young Carers Grant.

The draft budget for 2020-21 provides £229.8 million for concessionary fares. This includes estimated costs of £0.3 million in respect of companion cards for eligible disabled children under five and £0.2 million for recipients of the young carers grant. Together, these constitute just over 0.2% of the total concessionary fares figure. Actual costs will depend on when the new concessions are introduced as well as the extent to which they are taken up and used.

Question reference: S5O-04208

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of universal credit on rent arrears in the South Scotland region.

Question reference: S5W-27233

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 26 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering extending the definition of a protected animal under section 16 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 to include cephalopods and decapod crustaceans.

The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 allows the definition of protected animal to be extended to include invertebrates of any description but only if the Scottish Ministers are satisfied, on the basis of scientific evidence, that creatures of the kind concerned are capable of experiencing pain or suffering.

Should appropriate scientific evidence become available such an extension could therefore be given further consideration. The Scottish Government is considering the need for a review of the currently available scientific evidence.

Question reference: S5W-27461

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 26 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25873 by Roseanna Cunningham on 29 October 2019, what progress it is making with its consideration of whether to proceed with the Whitesands Flood Protection Scheme; by what date it will announce its decision, and what the reason has been for any delay.

Question reference: S5W-27459

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 25 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support (a) Scottish Enterprise and (b) other public bodies have provided to Lyle and Scott in the last 10 years.